Established in 2020, Awazon Market has quickly become one of the most famous darknet marketplaces. The market claims to provide secure and anonymous commerce services. You can find a lot of goods and services packed with stealth high-level encryption, no JavaScript, and anti-DDoS protection. Discover everything about what a darknet market is, top marketplaces, security threats on them, and learn how to protect your data online. In addition to monitoring, Rai emphasised that various preventive measures are in place, with the newly formed task force playing a crucial role in overseeing and analyzing suspicious transactions to prevent drug trafficking. In the same period, 1,025 incidents involving parcels or couriers used for drug trafficking were also documented.
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The estimated street value of the seized drugs is approximately Rs 35.12 lakh, with LSD blots priced at Rs 2,500-4,000 each. The operation, codenamed ‘MELON’, was led by the NCB Cochin Zonal Unit and has resulted in the seizure of large quantities of LSD and Ketamine, as well as digital assets worth Rs 70 lakh. In a significant breakthrough, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has successfully dismantled India’s most prolific darknet drug syndicate operating under the alias ‘Ketamelon’. Investigations revealed that “Ketamelon” was India’s only Level 4 darknet vendor, a top-tier status in India, operating actively over the past two years. The name derives from the vendor’s early involvement in Ketamine smuggling.
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In a case that has shocked authorities and digital security experts alike, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has uncovered India’s largest dark web drug syndicate, run by a 29-year-old man from Kerala. The syndicate, which went by the name “Ketamelon”, used the dark web to sell drugs like LSD and Ketamine across the country. The agency said the cartels on the darknet are rated on the scale of 1 to 5 levels based on the potency of the drug sold, and their “customer service”.
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The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted a top darknet-based drug vendor named ‘Ketamelon’, which had been operating for the past two years. The vendor had established a wide network for shipping Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) to major cities, including Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhopal, Patna, and Delhi, as well as in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. On one hand, it offers privacy for whistleblowers, journalists, and citizens in oppressive countries. On the other hand, it’s notorious for enabling illegal activity, including drug sales, weapons trafficking, counterfeit ID trading, hacking services, and the exchange of stolen personal data. Some vendors offer services to help people “clean” illegally obtained funds using cryptocurrency and fake transactions. They mix and transfer funds through various privacy wallets and escrow services to hide the original source and make the illicit transactions harder to trace.
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For society at large, the case is a reminder of the unpredictable intersections between technology and criminality, and the need for ongoing vigilance—at the institutional and individual levels alike. Perhaps most shocking to the community was the revelation that Edison Babu had maintained an utterly normal family life. Neighbors described him as “bookish” and “hardworking,” and none had any inkling of his secret criminal career. This underscores a critical shift in the profile of India’s new-generation cyber criminals—educated, technically skilled individuals who blend seamlessly into mainstream society. Drugs were primarily sourced from UK-based vendor Gunga Din, a known reshipper of the globally infamous Dr Seuss (also known as DS or Tribe Seuss) which is believed to be the largest LSD source in the world, the NCB said.
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- For those who are looking for a reliable Alphabay Market alternative, Awazon Market aspires to become the solution.
- While hiring a hacker might sound like something out of a movie, it’s a very real threat.
- The bust has not only revealed the vast scale of online narcotics trading in India but also raised urgent concerns about the security challenges posed by the hidden corners of the internet.
- Once the drugs arrived, he would directly approach the courier office to receive the parcel.
- The NCB said it is working to unearth the third such known LSD cartel operating in the country.
- It also runs on the Tor network, which helps keep things anonymous.
For instance, cybercriminals can buy credit card details with a $5,000 balance for just $110. The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the newspaper.
As Telegram has end-to-end encryption and anonymous profiles, it makes it an ideal choice for threat actors and hackers to take advantage of. Once many users begin to rely on the site and store funds in escrow, the operators disappear, taking all the money with them and leaving their customers and clients with nothing. Some sellers offer cracked versions of expensive software that you’d typically pay hundreds of dollars for. Others sell pirated eBooks, academic materials, and entire premium courses ripped straight from paid platforms. Unfortunately, the dark web hosts not only explicit but also deeply illegal and disturbing content.
Drug Trafficking In The Country
Drugs were primarily sourced from a UK-based vendor, Gunga Din, a known reshipper of the globally infamous Dr. Seuss (a.k.a. DS or Tribe Seuss), believed to be the largest LSD source in the world. Three different modes of smuggling of heroin — sea route through Mundra port, land route through Attari-Wagah border and the international border — were used by this syndicate. “For effective investigation, three NCB officers were awarded the Union Home Minister’s Medal for Investigation,” the sources said. The Abacus Market links to the new dark web marketplace sections and took over much of the vacuum left by the AlphaBay takedown. If you ever decide to explore the dark web, protecting your identity is crucial. Most people start by using the Tor Browser, which hides your IP address.
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These sites cater to cybercriminals seeking valuable data, such as credit card numbers, login credentials, and personal information. “Among the material seized were multiple cryptocurrency wallets, hard disks with incriminating documents and a hardware wallet containing USDT cryptocurrency valued at Rs 70 lakh,” the official said. In a significant crackdown against darknet-enabled narcotics trade, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted India’s top-ranked darknet drug vendor operating under the alias “Ketamelon”. “Ketamelon” had established a widespread network, shipping LSD to major cities including Bangalore, Chennai, Bhopal, Patna, Delhi, and regions in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
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It scans darknet marketplaces and hacker forums to alert you instantly if anything shows up. This way, you can catch any leaks and stop them before they cause bigger problems. Sometimes, you might be hacked by using weak passwords or even just connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi on public networks.
The darknet—the encrypted, unindexed part of the internet accessible only through specialized software like Tor—is a notorious hub for illegal activities. It’s where international drug deals, arms sales, and illicit services are routinely brokered away from the prying eyes of law enforcement. Yet, until recently, most large-scale darknet drug operations in India were believed to be the domain of organized criminal syndicates or foreign cartels. Darknet or dark web marketplaces are a hidden part of the internet that surface web users can’t access; they can only be accessed with special anonymity software called Tor. Many people (mostly criminals) use these sites to perform illegal transactions such as selling banned goods and services.
They even have a Telegram channel to provide their clients with live updates. Like most of the markets, STYX supports Bitcoin (BTC), Monero (XMR), and other crypto tokens to keep everyone’s identity hidden on this marketplace. It has a search option to let you find local and international products and services on the dark web.
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The police confirmed that Grapnel and Cyber Dome’s expanded surveillance network had already identified at least 25 other suspected dark web traffickers in Kerala earlier this year. The success of the Ketamelon bust is being seen as a direct result of these improved cyber intelligence operations. Also known as acid, blots, and stamp, LSD is a hallucinogenic drug. It is odourless, colourless, and tasteless, and can be painted onto small paper pieces that users lick or swallow.
